Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II USM (82mm plastic filter thread, 1.25 feet/0.38m close-focus, 28.4 oz./804g, about $1,749.) enlarge. I bought mine at Adorama; this free website's biggest source of support is when you use that and these links, as well as this link directly to it at Amazon, when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks! Ken.

The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II is among Canon's best lenses ever. It is significantly sharper than the previous 24-70mm f/2.8 L, and also much sharper than Nikon's 24-70/2.8G if you're counting pixels.

This new II version replaces the already excellent 24-70mm f/2.8 L of 2002, adding sharper optics and a lot more plastic compared to the original lens. It costs nearly twice as much as the previous lens — thus the "II" designation — and weighs less than the previous beast.

This new 24-70/2.8 II is so sharp that it's actually sharper than my reference 50mm f/1.8 II and 50mm f/1.4 USM lenses at larger apertures! I can't recall ever testing a midrange zoom that was sharper than fixed 50mm lenses. At f/8 most decent lenses are the same, while at f/2.8 and f/4, this new 24-70 is much sharper if you're counting each pixel and looking in the corners.

Another intangible over the less expensive plastic zooms I usually carry day-to-day with my kids is that this new 24-70 L II seems to add a little more overall contrast and color. It's subtle, and it might be imaginary, but possibly due to better internal stray light control, images from this new lens often have more "pop" than from my older, cheaper lenses when shot in low light at larger apertures.

I felt ripped-off as I opened the box for my new $2,300 lens and realized that it's mostly plastic, compared to the mostly metal and far less expensive original 24-70mm f/2.8 L. However, after shooting with this new lens for only an hour or so its images were so subtly and strongly better than the original lens that I was hooked. Other full-time pros have also fallen immediately in love with this lens. If you're shooting it at f/2.8 it's much sharper and more contrasty than the previous lens.

The 24-70 is extremely popular with professional wedding and event photographers. Amateurs usually prefer the Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS because it costs and weighs a little less and has a longer zoom range, however full-time pros prefer this 24-70 because its a stop faster (f/2.8) and has less distortion at the wide end, and because the zoom range between 24mm and 35mm isn't all bunched together as it is with the 24-105mm.

This is a full-frame lens. The 24-70mm range shot on Canon's 1.6x cameras becomes a 38-112mm equivalent lens, which is a very handy range.

AF is immediate and quiet, but not silent. You can grab the big manual focus ring for instant manual focus override at any time.

This lens focuses to within 8 inches (20 cm) or closer in front of the lens at all focal length settings, which means that I never have to move back to get something in focus.

Zooming has just the right amount of space between focal lengths to allow precise selection of any focal length, especially at the wide end. The zoom is reasonably stiff, so you'll usually want to use at least two fingers for zooming. I have no idea why there's a lock; there's no drift on my new lens.

While the cheaper and lighter 24-105mm f/4 IS has Image Stabilization (IS) for sharp hand-held shots of still subjects in dim light, the faster f/2.8 speed of this 24-70mm allows photographing people and action in lower light than with the 24-105mm. Image Stabilization is of no help with moving subjects; IS only helps with camera shake, not subject motion.

Since this lens is so big, this actually means that it focuses to within about 8 inches (20 cm) of the front of the lens at the 70mm setting, and even closer as the lens gets longer at the wider settings.

Bokeh, the quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to the degree of defocus, is fair to good. It's reasonably good at f/2.8, but gets worse at smaller apertures where it's not as likely to be that important.

Of course the background rarely gets very far out of focus at 24mm; if you want soft backgrounds, shoot at 70mm, keep your subject close and shoot at f/2.8. Subject distance and focal length are more important to throwing backgrounds out of focus than simply shooting at f/2.8.

The Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 II has significantly more distortion than I expect in a premium midrange zoom, especially in the critical 35-70mm range. The original 24-70/2.8 L is usually better, except at 24mm and 28mm, where this new lens is better than most similar zooms.

At 24 and 28mm, this lens has very little distortion, but goes strongly pincushion by 35mm through 70mm, and is worst at 50mm, where it probably will be used most often and where other lenses have their least distortion.

Focus is perfect, but a bit of a reach. I prefer the smaller, closer and easier to feel focus rings of smaller lenses like the 28-105mm USM II and similar.

The AF - MF switch falls right under your thumb.

Focus shifts slightly as zoomed, so focus last.

Zooming is very evenly spaced and never crowds any range together, however it's rather stiff and ideally demands two fingers to zoom. Zooming with one finger takes a very strong and determined finger. The sample I bought certainly has no zoom creep, so I'm perplexed as to why it has a zoom lock. There is no bright fluorescent warning when you flip-on the zoom lock.

The zoom and focus rings are made of rubber-covered alloy, while everything else is plastic. Since the alloy rings are covered by rubber, the whole thing feels as if it may as well be plastic.

Sadly, Canon cheaped-out and the filter threads are plastic, so be careful not to cross-thread.

The great news is that there's never any vignetting on full-frame (or any other format) with any filter, even big, fat thick ones.

In fact, vignetting is only very minor even with two stacked standard filters (12.5mm total thickness excluding rear threads). It's minor at 24mm, a bit less at 35mm and 50mm, and gone at 70mm — with two thick stacked filters!

There is certainly is no need for expensive "thin" polarizers or grads.

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L II with two stacked filters.

Worst-case vignetting with two stacked filters at 24mm at f/2.8 on full-frame.

To lessen this, stop-down or zoom-in, and you can use two stacked filters on full-frame with no problem. Of course on 1.3x or 1.6x cameras, this is no problem at all due to the crop factor.

The front section of this new lens is all plastic, and if you try to wiggle it when extended to 70mm, a little bit of wiggle is normal.

Canon claims for this new lens that "The mechanical structure of the lens has been improved to offer enhanced zoom durability and greater shake and shock resistance within the lens barrel. The size of the lens has also been reduced by 10mm compared to the previous model, providing enhanced portability and greater convenience in everyday use. A new Zoom Lock lever also enables photographers to lock the zoom position at the extreme wide end to prevent damage to the lens in transit," but it still is mostly plastic on the outside.

Canon claims waterproof construction around the lens mount, switch panel, zoom ring, focusing ring and zoom lock. Yes, Canon said "waterproof," but I don't think they mean that. Since I bought this lens for myself, I have yet to put on the rear cap and drop it in the bathtub to see what happens.

Canon claims dustproof construction.

Canon claims "weatherproof when used with weatherproof EOS bodies."

Pros really do shoot these out in the rain all day with pro bodies like the 1D X (the 5D Mark III is not a pro body). Thank goodness I don't shoot in the rain!

What makes this cockomacus snap eye-opening is how sharp, colorful and contrasty it is right out to the corners when you see the original file — and this is shot wide-open at f/2.8 at 24mm. Other lenses can't do this. Remember that very little is in focus as you look around.

This said, the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L II is among the sharpest lenses I've ever tested. It is extraordinarily sharp and contrasty, even at f/2.8 right out to the corners.

So long as you're in focus, sharpness doesn't vary much from perfection, except by f/11, where diffraction softens the image. In the far corners at f/2.8 at the wide end it's sharp, and will improve a bit by f/4, which is extraordinary performance.

Hey, sorry to spare you endless boring charts, but with a lens this good, there's nothing to show other than sharp pictures under all conditions.

The biggest detriment to sharpness will be a lack of proper vision and technique, never this lens. I bought mine directly from Adorama. I can't vouch for anything if you buy from a local store or chain where you never really know who's opened and played with your lens before you buy it. I never buy retail; too many risks, so why pay more?

I'm very pleasantly surprised: even though Canon claims "rounded," which usually kills any sunstars, I see sunstars at just about all apertures under the right conditions. Even at f/2.8 at the wide end, the diaphragm is in play, and helps give little kickers to brilliant points of light that I love so much. Sunstars help an image tell the viewer just how bright the points of light are, since a photo can't otherwise reproduce the effect of a light or brilliant reflection shined in your face.

I'm really excited about the sunstars. They usually have sharp points, not the soft muted ones of today's wimpy "rounded" diaphragms, and they can be seen at normal apertures like f/8 and f/11, not needing to squint at f/22.

If you want the most extraordinary optics overall, especially great sunstars and low distortion at 24mm, get this new 24-70 L II.

While lighter, more plasticy and twice as expensive as the old Canon 24-70/2.8 L, this new lens is significantly sharper in extreme conditions if you're counting your pixels, and most importantly to me, has magnificent sunstars sorely lacking on the older lens.

If you want the toughest-feeling pro lens, want the best bokeh or the least overall distortion in the middle of the zoom range, get the previous 24-70/2.8 L.

If you want a lighter, less expensive lens that adds Image Stabilization, is very sharp and covers a longer zoom range, get the 24-105mm f/4 IS. Personally, I dislike how the 24-105 crams all the wide focal lengths too close together on its zoom ring — making it a pain to zoom in the wide end — and it's loaded with hellacious distortion at 24mm, so I've never been a fan of the 24-105 IS.

I had fully expected to be writing a review poking fun of this lens for its crazy price and plasticyier build quality compared to the previous 24-70/2.8, but within just hours of starting to shoot this new, lighter lens, its superior image quality won me over immediately and I had to buy one for myself. Rats, this has been an expensive review!

I'm eating my own words: this new lens is even sharper at large apertures than my reference 50/1.8 II, which is as sharp as the Canon 50/2.5 Macro (the 50/1.4 USM is much less sharp than any of these if you're counting pixels), and it's 18-point sunstars are the best from Canon ever.

This lens is expensive, and good!

While lighter than the older model, it's still a big lens optimized for full-time use. If you are having to carry it all day but not shooting it all day, a lighter lens like the 24-85mm will be more comfortable to carry all day. Then again, if you're on a dedicated photo outing, nothing beats this lens — not even fixed lenses!

24-70mm f/2.8 lenses are favorites of most professional wedding and event photographers because of their great sharpness, high speed and optimum range for general people photos while walking the grounds and the room. It goes as wide as you'd ever dare for group shots without distorting faces, and goes long enough for decent head shots if you don't have the time to grab your 70-200 — and it's so darn sharp from edge-to-edge, especially at f/2.8, along with great sunstars rarely seen on new lenses. Canon has really got its act together.

Buy one! I did.

For most people on full frame, the 24mm end means you don't need another wide lens like the 16-35mm II. Since I do need the ultrawide end and carry an ultrawide anyway, I'd rather this lens covered 35-105mm instead.

This 24-70 is also ideal on smaller-format cameras, offering what I find to be an even handier effective focal length range (30-90mm on 1.3x and 38-115mm on 1.6x).

I'd use an 82mm B+W 010 MRC UV filter for protection, or the Canon 82mm UV, or an 82mm Hoya HMC UV. You don't need a "slim" filter; any normal 82mm filter works great. These filters are all very good; the reason to pay more for the B+W is simply if you feel better with a $100 rather than a $64 filter on a $2,300 lens.

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